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Two of the surprise stories in the NFL will face off in Miami when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Dolphins Sunday.

Two of the hottest teams in the league square off Saturday in San Diego, when the Colts head west to take on the Chargers.


DENVER (AP) -- Over the past few years, Mike Shanahan, the vice president of football operations, didn't do Mike Shanahan, the coach, any favors.

In the end, both got fired.

The Denver Broncos parted ways with Shanahan on Tuesday following a late-season fizzle that knocked the team out of the postseason for a third straight season.

The collapse was complete with a 52-21 debacle at San Diego, with the Chargers rallying for the AFC West crown as Denver became the first team since divisional play started in 1967 to blow a three-game lead with three games left.

A dreadful defense - one built by Shanahan, the personnel man - was mostly to blame.

"After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos," said owner Pat Bowlen, whose team finished 8-8.

Shanahan fired as Broncos coach....

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and New England linebacker Jerod Mayo have taken the NFL's top rookie honors.

The Vikings meet the Eagles in Sunday's NFC wild-card game. Each team features a star running back. The Eagles top back is Brian Westbrook. Minnesota counters with Adrian Peterson.


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Add this to the growing list of Plaxico Burress' problems: getting in a car crash and not having insurance on his nearly $140,000 Mercedes-Benz....

Burress was driving without insurance before crash....

The Giants beat the Panthers, 34-28, to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. Brandon Jacobs scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

The Titans routed the Steelers Sunday, 31-14. Tennessee earned a first-round playoff bye. The Titans also secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

The former home of the Indianapolis Colts is now a pile of rubble. Crews imploded the RCA Dome just after 9:30 a.m. Saturday by setting off 800 charges to bring down the facility's upper floors in about 25 seconds.


Fantasy Sports Girl Katya has this weeks list of whose banged up and who's ready to go in the Infirmary Report.

Longtime Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh died Wednesday night in a Texas hospital. Baugh was 94 and had numerous health issues in recent years. He played from 1937 to 1952.

Both Pittsburgh and Tennessee have clinched playoff berths but Sunday's meeting means a lot. The Steelers and Titans are playing for home field throughout the playoffs.


NEW YORK (AP) -- Peyton and Eli Manning were voted to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, the first time quarterback-playing brothers have been chosen for the same all-star game. The Indianapolis Colts' Peyton will make his ninth appearance in 11 seasons and will start for the AFC. It will be the first appearance for Eli, who was the MVP for the New York Giants in last February's Super Bowl. He will be on the NFC team.

The Giants also landed the oldest Pro Bowler ever, 44-year-old kicker John Carney, who was signed at the start of the season as a short-term fill-in for the injured Lawrence Tynes. He has made 27 of 29 field goals - the two he missed were blocked - and has kept the now-recovered Tynes inactive for all but two games.

The New York Jets led all teams with seven Pro Bowlers, including quarterback Brett Favre, who will be in his 10th Pro Bowl, but his first representing the AFC. There will be six each from the Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans in the game, to be played on Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

Peyton and Eli Manning: QB brothers in Pro Bowl....


Fantasy Sports Girl Chy has this weeks FANalyst Guys to Pick-up and Guys to Dump for week 16.

The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Cleveland Browns on all sides of the ball on Monday Night Football. The final score was 30 to 10. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for two touchdowns.


NEW YORK (AP) — The Arena Football League canceled its 2009 season Monday pending an agreement with its players union. The decision throws the future of the 22-year-old league into question just days after it said next season had not been suspended.

The AFL's owners voted against playing next year during a conference call Sunday night. It was unclear what had changed since the league issued a statement Wednesday night that said the 2009 season had not been suspended "despite rumors and reports to the contrary."

The league said in Monday's statement it was "developing a long-term plan to improve its economic model."

"Every owner in the AFL is strongly committed to the league, the game, and, most importantly, the fans," acting commissioner Ed Policy said in a statement. "Owners, however, recognize that, especially in light of the current unprecedented economic climate, the AFL, as a business enterprise, needs to be restructured if it is to continue to provide its unique brand of this affordable, fan-friendly sport."

Last week's statement came after a meeting of the league's board of directors and did not say the AFL definitely would play next year.

Arena Football League cancels 2009 season....

Brett Favre has guided the Jets through a transformative season. A year after going 4-12, New York is 9-5 and tied for first place. The Green Bay Packers, the quarterback's former team, were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Ravens, 13-9, to earn their second straight AFC North title.

Jason Elam kicked a 34-yard field goal in overtime as the Falcons beat the Buccaneers, 13-10.

Fantasy Sports Girl Jenn has this weeks FANalyst Guys to Pick-up and Guys to Dump for week 15.

Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown Thursday night in Chicago's 27-24 win over New Orleans. The Bears improved to 8-6, to move to one-half game behind first-place Minnesota in the NFC North.

Two NFL division leaders are facing off Sunday with Denver looking at wrapping up the AFC West championship.


Denver, CO (Sports Network) - The Arena Football League will reportedly announce before the end of the week that the league will suspend play for the 2009 season.

The Rocky Mountain News reported the story on its website earlier Wednesday.

The league has faced trouble in the offseason as longtime commissioner David Baker resigned in July and no replacement has been named. Also, the New Orleans VooDoo franchise was disbanded in October despite being near the top of the league in attendance for the past two seasons.

The schedule for 2009 has not been released, and free agency and the dispersal draft for New Orleans have been placed on hold.

The 15-team league was founded in 1987 with last season's championship game featuring the Philadelphia Soul and San Jose Sabercats in a 59-56 final in favor of the Soul.

Report: AFL to suspend play for 2009....


By DAVE GOLDBERG

NEW YORK (AP) — The recession has hit the NFL. The league said Tuesday it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation's economy. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the cuts in a memo to league employees. The NFL is eliminating about 150 of its staff of 1,100 in New York, NFL Films in New Jersey and television and Internet production facilities in Los Angeles.

"These are difficult and painful steps," Goodell wrote in the memo. "But they are necessary in the current economic environment. I would like to be able to report that we are not immune to the troubles around us, but we are not. Properly managed, I am confident the NFL will emerge stronger, more efficient and poised to pursue long-term growth opportunities."

The NFL has been symbolic of the wealth surrounding professional sports — its players will be paid $4.5 billion alone this year — but it now joins the NBA, NASCAR and the company that runs Major League Baseball's Internet division in announcing layoffs.

The cuts will take place over the next 60 days, running past the Super Bowl, which will be played Feb. 1 in Tampa. Employees who volunteer to leave will be offered what was termed "a voluntary separation program."

They are separate from the cuts in front-office and other personnel being made by the 32 individual teams.

Goodell said last month in an interview with The Associated Press that the league and its teams could feel the economic slump in cutbacks in sponsorship and marketing.

Economic slump makes NFL cut headquarters staff....

By returning a 26-yard interception for a touchdown, Deshea Townsend lifted the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 20-13, come-from-behind victory Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys. The AFC North-leading Steelers improved to 10-3.

Pierre Thomas rushed for 102 yards and Reggie Bush ran for 80 more Sunday, as the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons, 29-25. The Saints improved to 7-6, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.


Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The suspensions of five NFL players, which were levied earlier this week for violations of the league's anti-doping policy, were blocked by a federal judge in St. Paul on Friday.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson issued a preliminary injunction against the suspensions of New Orleans' Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith, and Minnesota's Pat Williams and Kevin Williams.

The players will thereby be able to play this weekend, and Magnuson will later issue a full decision in the case.

The NFL had suspended each on Tuesday for four games, and therefore they would have been benched for this weekend's games. They had tested positive for a banned diuretic, Bumetanide, which may serve as a masking agent for steroids.

But the suspensions of those five players were challenged in a lawsuit filed Thursday by the NFL Players Association.

Judge blocks suspensions of five NFL players....


LAS VEGAS -- O.J. Simpson was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 15 years in prison for the gunpoint robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers.

Simpson, 61, will not be eligible for parole for five years.

A jury on Oct. 3 convicted Simpson and Clarence "C.J" Stewart of a multitude of charges against them in the Sept. 13, 2007, confrontation with the dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel room.

Simpson gets prison sentence of at least 15 years....

When the Carolina Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Charlotte Monday night, first place in the very competitive NFC South will be on the line.

Linebacker Antonio Pierce called a New York Giants trainer almost immediately after Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself and was told where to take the wounded receiver.


By STEVE KARNOWSKI – 1 hour ago

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NFL Players Association filed a lawsuit Thursday to block five of the six player suspensions for violating the league's anti-doping policy.
The suit filed in federal court here is on behalf of Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints.

The five players were suspended for four games for testing positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide, which can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The drug was in a dietary supplement, StarCaps, that did not list the diuretic as an ingredient.

The suit does not include Houston Texans long snapper Bryan Pittman. David Cornwell, Pittman's lawyer, told the AP that his client isn't included because his circumstances "differ substantially from the men who used StarCaps."

In the lawsuit, the NFLPA alleges both the NFL-appointed doctor and the NFL lawyer who administer the league's steroids policy knew the supplement contained the banned drug but never advised the players. It alleges they breached their duty to the players and endangered their physical well-being.

"It's just common sense that someone shouldn't be punished in those circumstances," David Feher, a lawyer for the union, told The Associated Press.

NFL players union seeks to block suspensions....

Ben Roethlisberger hopes to lead his Pittsburgh Steelers to their fourth straight win, when the Cowboys visit Heinz Field Sunday. Dallas also seeks its fourth consecutive victory.


NEW YORK (AP) — Six players, including the heart of the Minnesota Vikings' stout defensive line, were suspended for four games without pay by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's anti-doping policy.

All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids.

The suspended players were running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston.

The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.

Angelo Wright, the agent for Pat Williams, said he planned to file a motion in federal court in the next 24 hours, presumably to put off his client's suspension.

A seventh player, Atlanta's Grady Jackson, was not suspended. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Jeff Pash, the league's chief counsel, had asked for additional information.

If a player's team makes the playoffs, the player will be eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 29.

The suspension of Pat and Kevin Williams, who are not related, may prove to be the most critical.

NFL suspends six players for doping violations....


By TOM CANAVAN

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress is done for the year.

The New York Giants fined and suspended Burress on Tuesday for four games — the rest of the regular season — after he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh over the weekend at a Manhattan nightclub. The team also placed him on the reserve non-football injury list, which means the wide receiver couldn't come back for playoffs, either.

The team punished Burress a day after he was charged with illegal weapons possession, which carries a penalty of 3 1/2 to 15 years in prison. He is due back in court on March 31.

Burress arrived at Giants Stadium on Tuesday morning, and met individually with Giants president John Mara, general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin. He left for a medical test and returned in the afternoon for another brief session with team officials.

"As we have said since Saturday morning, our concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being," Mara said. "This is an important time for him to take care of his body and heal up and also deal with the very serious legal consequences and other issues in his life. When I spoke with Plaxico he expressed great remorse for letting down his teammates."

Neither Burress nor his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was immediately available for comment.

Giants suspend Super Bowl hero Burresss....


Fantasy Sports Girl Kaila is checking out the guys who have moved up the charts in this weeks Pickup and Dump.


LONDON: The New England Patriots will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season at Wembley Stadium, the third straight year the NFL will stage a regular-season game in the British capital.

The game will be played Oct. 25. The Bucs will be listed as the home team, giving up a game in Tampa.

"Over the past two years, we have seen firsthand the excitement that exists for our sport in the UK," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday in a statement. "The games have helped us to deepen our connection with our UK fans as well as create new ones. We are looking forward to another outstanding game in 2009."

Five weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32 before 83,000 fans at Wembley. Last season, the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Both games were sold out.

The NFL is also expected to play a regular-season game in London in 2010.

Pats to play Bucs in London in 2009....

Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel turned the ball over four times Sunday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers shut down the defending AFC champs, 33-10, in Foxborough, Mass.

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